Algebra and Engines
by girlofgallifrey442
Summary: Modern AU. Rey has to balance school life with social life, working at the mechanics and trying not to suffer from loneliness all at the same time. Ben needs his car fixed desperately and has to call upon the girl working at the car mechanic for help, but he soon realises they have a lot more in common than he once thought. ( Reylo )
1. Chapter 1- After School

Rey really didn't mind school, considering she worked at the mechanics and any free time she did have she spent on her own, always on her own. She did have friends, albeit only two. But she couldn't hang out with Poe and Finn, they would discover that a 17 year old was living on her own when everyone else lived with family. Plus it was always awkward around them. Poe, captain of every sports team the school had, was head over heels for Finn and Finn was head over heels for her. Rey knew perfectly well but she didn't feel that way for Finn, she saw him more as a friend.

Rey slotted more textbooks into her locker and prayed to every god she could think of that Mr Ransen didn't give her class another surprise quiz on algebra or trigonometry. Although Rey was great at physics and engineering, her maths sometimes struggled due to the lack of studying that she had no time for.

Rey was always the first at school and liked how it was so quiet and still without all the students. The calm before the storm. She jerked her head at the sound of laughter. Hux and Anosie Phasma, more commonly referred to by her second name, were standing by Hux's locker. Phasma was laughing heavily at something her smug looking friend had just said but they didn't look right together. Phasma was wearing was wearing metallic silver leggings and a grey hoodie, whilst Hux wore smart black trousers, a white shirt and a deep red bowtie. It was there clothing differences that was making them look strange but Rey just couldn't think what it was. Something was missing. No, _someone_ was missing.

Ben Solo was always the take of school, which was weird to Rey because anytime she saw him he seemed quite quiet or maybe even shy. Maybe that was why there was so many rumours about him, he was shrouded by mystery and mystery always attracted rumours. The only things Rey knew about him that were true was; his mom is an army general, which meant she spent a lot of time away from home. His dad was some kind of traveling salesman and was never at home. Since both his parents are rarely home, he lives with his uncle. Rey wondered where he was since he was usually with the pair.

When they both turned to face Rey, who had been staring for quite some time in their direction, they were looking past her and at someone else. She slowly turned around to see him behind her.

"You're the girl that works at the mechanics right?" He seemed nervous to be asking her, or it could be embarrassment, she couldn't quite tell.

"Umm yeah" Rey was a little startled as they had never spoken to each other. She had also never realised how tall he was, either that or she had suddenly shrank. "Why?"

"There's something wrong with my car but I don't know what" Now Rey could tell he was definitely embarrassed. She had never met a man who didn't brag about knowing a thing or two about cars.

"Okay so you don't want to bring it in some time?" She said trying not to sound to amused.

"ok, yeah, when?" Ben questioned.

"After school today?" Rey said rather too quickly "I mean if that's okay if that's okay with you cause I know we have a lot of tests coming up and people don't have a lot of –"

"After school is fine" Ben said rather sternly.

The bell rang loudly and Rey hadn't even noticed the now packed corridor.

"Well, see you later then?" Rey sounded unsure of her own words as she closed her locker door and ran to class.

Rey honestly thought her day couldn't get any worse until Mr Ransen scribbled the word quiz on the board


	2. Chapter 2- It's a deal

AN: First of all, sorry about all the spelling errors in the first chapter but I wasn't able to spell check it on my laptop. Hope you enjoy this chapter and please leave reviews so that I know how you felt about this chapter!

Unkar had told Rey many, many, _many_ times whilst he was away on vacation that she must not have new clients let her fix their car. After all, she was just his assistant. But she knew she could fix Ben's car, she would be able to keep the money for herself and maybe afford better food than cheap coffee and thai take outs.

Unkar was never nice to Rey, never. He would pay her the least bit of attention he could and did not care for her safety one bit, to the point where the school got concerned. She turned up to school with a large burn down her leg, and the nurse didn't believe her story that she burnt it on a hot car exhaust. Rey spent hours explaining that her boss was too large -and lazy- to get under a car, so he would often snap instructions at her whilst he sat and gulped down the coffee she had made for him.

But Rey always thought if she wasn't under a car or making Unkar his coffee, she could be on the streets, with no food, no home, no hope. Hope was the only thing that kept Rey alive and the only thing that kept her awake at night. Hope that she would one day meet her family or maybe hope one day she would have enough money to start her own. Rey was not focused on partying or boys, like all the other girls in her class, she had to focus on her studies and work and keeping a roof above her head.

She needed the money from Ben and she needed it now.

It's been three days since she last ate and she could hear her stomach calling for food every minute of the day. Unkar was paying her less and her rent her was going up, she had to earn money somehow and this was the perfect opportunity.

She needed the money from Ben.

She needed food.

Being winter, it was already dark at six o'clock when Ben finally arrived. The car was making the sound of banshee who had been drinking vodka, which usually means there's a hole in the exhaust. The part of cars Rey happened to fear the most.

Trust Ben Solo to drive a black 1967 Impala, the car Rey had always dreamt of driving along a road on a hot summer day when everything smelt of barley and the suns haze covered everything in sight. It looked slightly different in the dim glow of Unkar Plutt's auto repair garage.

Rey checked the rest of the car just to be sure she couldn't charge him more than she already was. There was a thick blanket draped over the back seat, and a pack of beer under the front seat.

 _Probably one of those guys that gets cheerleaders drunk in his car._

Ben sat quietly watching Rey attempt to fix his car, but began getting uncomfortable when he noticed how long she seemed to be looking at the back of his car.

 _Crap she knows. I knew I never should of come._

"Well you have a pretty big hole in your exhaust" Rey said wiping her hands on a dirty rag "Which means your gonna need to buy a new one"

"How much is a new exhaust?" Ben said trying not to look at her in her jumpsuit that was tied around her waist leaving her top half in a white vest, revealing her small shoulders.

"Cheapest about, umm" Rey walked over to look through a file and she suddenly realised how close she was to him "three hundred dollars"

Ben's eyes went wide.

"I only have about one twenty" He said as his cheeks flushed pink.

" _One twenty?!"_ Rey said her jaw dropping

"How about I owe you?"

"I'm not allowed to-"

"I'll help you study" Ben interrupted "Any class"

Rey considered it and remembered her maths scores.

"Fine you'll help me study maths and give me hundred and twenty dollars and I'll fix your car"

"Deal" He said holding out his rather large hand

"Deal"


	3. Chapter 3- Beer and Blankets

AN: Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews and yes there was people saying that Ben isn't the type of person that would get cheerleaders drunk in his car, but remember that Rey has never really talked to him before and is just assuming he is that type of guy. I don't think he is that type but this is Rey's opinion. Also, you find out what the blanket and beer in his car means, so hopefully you will be happy with the explanation! Anyway, onto the next chapter! Please leave a review and tell me what you thought.

Rey had managed to find an exhaust at a reasonable price and she had a maths test coming up. Ben had come over to the mechanics to help her with trigonometry, but she could tell he was losing his patience when Rey kept getting the answers wrong. She could see sweat appearing on his forehead and he was tapping his pencil off the edge of the table so much Rey thought the thing wold eventually snap in two.

"Why don't I work on the car now?" Rey said rising from her seat in hopes of escaping the tension of the situation.

"Yeah that's a good idea" His voice was shaking while he said it, he was clearly trying to calm himself but it wasn't working to well as far as Rey could tell.

Rey slid under the car and began removing the old exhaust. She couldn't see him staring at her, but she could _feel_ his eyes on her.

Rey was definitely not friends with Ben, definitely not. He was laid back and he just had a cool guy attitude. Most people were open books, they wore their emotions like the blurb, giving them a description of who they were. Poe was loving and loyal, Finn was curious and sensitive, Unkar was anger and impatient. Ben was nothing. He was locked up and never let anything show, only the odd embarrassed look or angry outburst. He was angry and embarrassed, he was only ever angry at someone else or at himself. He tore himself and others apart, piece by piece.

 _He barely has a mother or a father, he's just like me. He must be alone like me, lonely, crying myself to sleep at night, maybe he does that too? No, he has an uncle and he is smart and god damn he has better hair than me._

 _Oh God do I like him?_

"What's your name?" Ben's voice interrupted Rey from her thoughts of, well, him.

"What?" Rey said shaking her head "Oh, my names Rey, but you already knew that?" She said confused.

"Yeah but what's your full name" Ben said leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

Rey gulped at his question. She had thought of many names, but when it came to filling out forms or signing her signature, she always went for one name in particular.

"Rey… Domenia" She hated the way lying tasted in her mouth, it tasted like salt, it stung her tongue and made her teeth rattle. "Why do you ask?"

"Well if I'm gonna have to help you study, I might as well know something about you" He said with a small shrug of his shoulders.

"It will take me a while to fit the new exhaust, so you'll need to leave your car here" She said sliding out from under the car.

"No!" Ben said loudly. "I mean I-I can't"

Rey stood with her hands on her hips. Her eye brows had quirked up when he snapped at her. Well, actually, he didn't snap at her he just said it rather loudly and rather quickly. It was more of a reflex or defence, like he _knew_ she would ask him that.

"And why not?" Rey said deliberately pulling all the syllables of her words.

"I just can't" His tongue stumbled over his teeth slurring his words together like a soup of speech.

"Ben" Rey said softly, telling he was getting embarrassed. "Why is the car so important?"

"I-I…" Ben hung his head in shame "I live in it"

"You live in your car?"

Ben explained everything to Rey, how he was always getting in arguments with his uncle and it caused him to leave, with nowhere to go he made his car his home. The heavy blanket was his bed and the beer was to drink his loneliness away. Rey offered for him to park his car outside her apartment so that he had a permanent place to stay.

" _Your_ apartment?" Ben said quirking up an eyebrow. "You live… _alone_?"

Rey gulped and felt her face go hot.

Ben gave a low chuckle at her crimson flushed cheeks.

"Phasma was right, you are just like me, you are alone"

Suddenly, Rey knew she would be spending a lot more time than she wanted with Ben Solo.


	4. Chapter 4- Let's Be Alone Together

AN: Once again thank you for all the lovely reviews, this chapter is a bit angsty so hopefully you guys won't get to emotional *cries over fictional characters* okay well maybe that's just me. Anyway please leave reviews as they keep me motivated and let me here what you guys enjoy. Anyway, on with the next chapter!

Ben was parked right outside Rey's apartment and she hated it. Since Rey had removed the exhaust, they both had to push the car to her apartment, which, thankfully, wasn't too far from the mechanics. Though it would have helped if there wasn't a blizzard outside. The snow was screaming down outside, but since Ben had paid her up front she was able to buy a jar of coffee. Rey could feel every drop of coffee go down her dry throat and heat up her empty stomach. It felt wrong to savour the warmth of her beverage as Ben sat out in the cold. She could see him from where she sat by her window, the heavy sheet of snow cast on the car made its black colour stand out even more in the yellow glow of the street lights.

 _He knows you're an orphan, he knows you're weak. You can't be friends with someone like him. Or do you want to be more than friends? A weakling like you couldn't seduce someone like him, he already knows of your loneliness. He will never look at you the same, ever!_

Rey never realised she was crying till she heard herself let out a loud sob.

It wasn't even that she liked him that much, it was that he _knew._ He knew about her loneliness, her pain, her fear. Her weaknesses. Or did he feel her loneliness? And her pain? And her fear? Were they his weaknesses too?

I don't like him.

But is he the one I need the most?

Rey sat crying by her window staring out into the dark of night hoping someday the tears would stop.

Ben could feel the wind shaking the car and heard the snow crashing down on the roof like stars falling from the sky. The beer didn't seem to numb his loneliness like it usually did, it only reminded him how lonely he truly was, with only alcohol as company. The pain stung at his brain like hot coal, he knew she was watching him, but he couldn't bring himself to face her.

 _She knows that you're alone, that you're so alone_.

Ben took another sip of his beer

 _She knows you're in pain._

Ben gulped down his beer.

 _She knows you're weak._

Ben opened another beer.

He never seemed to get drunk, he never felt sick or did something stupid, he just sat on his own trying to drink away the world. It never seemed to work. Ben jerked his head to look up at Rey, but quickly realised she was no longer looking to him. She sat with her knees clutched to her chest, her cheeks red and her eyes streaming tears viciously down her face. He wanted to hold her, tell it was ok, let her know how he was the same, but he couldn't. He could just sit and drink beer whilst his salty tears were absorbed by his ratty old blanket, that was more made tears than fabric.

Ben Solo had finally had enough.

Rey was still sobbing when she heard the loud knocks at the door of her apartment. She considered not answering, but who would be knocking at her door at this time unless they had a good reason. When she opened the door she didn't even see who it was before two large arms wrapped along her small frame. No one had ever hugged her like this before. She had been given pity hugs all her live, but they were empty and shallow, but this, this hug was different. Someone she didn't even class as a friend, was hugging her with more emotion than she ever knew possible. Rey didn't know what to say, what could she? Ben was crying too, he needed to be held too, so that's what she did.

"Thank you" Rey whispered into his shoulder.

"I know you're alone" Ben said quietly.

"And so are you?" Rey said as if she didn't understand her own words.

"I-I.." Ben sobbed heavier "I am"

"You've never told anyone that have you?" Rey tried to sound as kind as she could.

Ben didn't reply, but held Rey tighter, which was clarification enough.

They stood their holding each other until Rey fell asleep on his shoulder. Ben gently picked her up and put her on her bed, arranging pillows and blankets around her.

" Let's be alone together" Ben said t the sleeping Rey as he lay down on the couch so he could get some rest.

A small smile spread across Rey's face at his words.


	5. Chapter 5- Cigarettes and Scrambled Eggs

AN: Thank you for the reviews and hopefully you like this chapter! (Please excuse any spelling errors

Rey's head spun like a carousel, spinning round and round, like her brain was asleep whilst she was awake. She rolled over to face the sofa that was opposite her, searching for a head of black hair, but found nothing. Rey slithered out from under the covers, and shuffled toward the sofa. There was no sign that Ben had even been there. She turned back towards her window to see him leaning against his car with his legs crossed smoking a cigarette. He looked nice, standing out in the freshly fallen snow, taking long breathes of his cigarette, every so often running his cold hands through his hair. He looked absolutely freezing outside in nothing but a t-shirt and jeans.

Rey opened her window and yelled out to him,

"Ben, come inside its much warmer up here"

Ben turned to look up at her, and with a shy smile he dropped his cigarette and crushed it into the snow with his shoe.

When Ben finally made it to her apartment on the third floor, she had already cooked scrambled eggs for the both of them, and poured them both a cup of coffee. She tried to look lady like whilst she ate her eggs with a small fork, but she was so _hungry_. Rey could tell from the way Ben was ramming the food down throat that he hadn't had a hot breakfast in a long time.

"How can you afford to smoke, when you barely have any money?" Rey realised how rude her question sounded "I didn't mean to intrude I just…never mind"

"I'm not addicted, I just smoke when I need to" Ben said look down into his mug of coffee.

There was a long silence whilst they finished their breakfast, both looking anywhere except at the other. Rey knew it was stupid, letting Ben live in that old car when she had a perfectly fine sofa in her apartment. But she barely knew him, and what if someone found out they lived together? What about her rent? She could share the rent with him and she could be able to buy food for herself.

"Ben, I know it's a strange question but I have barely any money for food and have to spend it all on rent. So maybe, since you need some where to stay, maybe it would be a good idea if you-"

"If I stay with you for a bit?" Ben said smirking, taking advantage of her embarrassment. "Because I would gladly accept, but don't you think it's rather scandalous two seventeen year olds living with each other?"

Embarrassment burned hot on her face. "Well yes, but we could share the rent?"

"Rey" Ben softly said leaning forward, a genuine smile appeared on his face "You do not know how long I have been looking for somewhere to stay that wasn't on wheels"

Rey wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that she lived with another person, since it had been so long. Rey had grown up in an orphanage and hated every bit of it, from the cruel children, to the way she had been labelled as an orphan. It's probably why she ran away when she was thirteen. Sure, they had looked for her, but she had already gotten a train to the nearest city by the time they noticed she was gone. But now he lived with another seventeen year, and a boy, if she knew her grandmother she would be shocked. Ben had a few things in his car trunk, he brought those in from the cold and soon asked if he was able to use Rey's shower.

"Had to use the ones at school, but since it's the weekend could I maybe use _our_ shower?" He had said, almost mocking her at the fact that they lived together.

"Might I add that _you_ were the one that accepted _my_ offer to live with me" Rey said trying not to smirk, too much.

He gave a low chuckle, "I can't say that I'm shocked"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm just saying I can be very alluring to many women, and I'm devilishly handsome"

Rey just scoffed at his remark and threw him a towel, trying to force the heat rising to her cheeks to go away.

Ben was an enigma.

One minute he's confident and suave, the next minute he's shy and sensitive. Other times he would say thinks that Rey didn't even understand. Rey had feelings for Ben, that much was true, but she wished she didn't. Anyone she had ever had feelings for had left her. She knew she would have loved her parents, but they left her. Her best friend at the orphanage was the strongest friendship she had ever had with someone, but she was adopted.

But that was friendship, and Rey knew, that whatever this was, it was more than friendship.


	6. Chapter 6- Blood in the Blizzard

AN: First of all, sorry for not updating sooner but I have had no time to write recently. Also, just to explain, so far I don't feel Ben and Rey are in a relationship, they both have feelings for each other (obviously cause Reylo) but they're both so closed up they won't admit it, yet. Sorry for any spelling errors, grammar etc. Please review so I know what you think!

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

School had been cancelled for the past three days, and all Rey could do was be trapped in her apartment, whilst Ben was out at work, Rey wasn't actually aware of what his job was, as they both did the least talking to each other they could. They were both just unfortunate people in a rather odd situation. Rey was scribbling notes down from her textbook when she heard, the first shout and the thud of metal hitting bone. She ran to her window to see what was going on, and was horrified to see two guys beating Ben to a pulp, one with a steel bat and the other smashing his fist into Ben's jaw.

Rey was on the street before they swung another hit.

The snow had stopped about an hour ago, so it was easy to see Ben's mangled body lying in the fresh snow, and the large pool of blood around him. The two men continued to attack Ben, the taller man cracking his bat hard on the side of Ben's ribs, and the smaller aggressively kicking him in the stomach. Ben wasn't even responding to any of the blows, he just lay there shaking, his hand on his mouth, trying to stop the blood flowing out from between his teeth.

"Get away from him!" Rey yelled running towards them.

"Why hello their beautiful!" Exclaimed the bat wielding man.

"Don't call me beautiful, now get away from my… friend" Rey said unsure of her last word.

"Sorry sweetie but we have a little bad blood that needs resolved with your boyfriend" Said the smaller man with a chilling grin on his face.

"He is not my boyfriend, now leave before I call the cops" Rey said through gritted teeth .

"Sorry sugar, but the cops aren't gonna-"

Rey couldn't control herself when her hand flew to his throat, her grip tightening as she spoke,

"If you leave I won't call the cops, but if you don't, I will make sure you get your sorry butts locked up for good"

"Okay tiger, we'll leave him to you, but we can't promise she aren't coming back"

And with that, the two men hopped back in their car and speeded back to whatever hell they came from.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Ben couldn't feel anything, but he could hear everything. He could hear his heart beating in his chest, his breathing slipping from between his lips, the creaking of a chair next to him. Ben painfully moved his head to see Rey sitting in a chair next to his, as far as he could tell, hospital bed. Suddenly he wasn't numb, it felt like he was on fire, and as a result he winced loudly.

"I wouldn't move if I was you" Rey said flicking through sheets of paper on a clipboard "Three broken ribs, a cracked jaw and pretty much bruised everywhere"

Everything she mentioned seemed to seemed to ache more, he knew she would ask so why not provide the answer first.

"Me, Hux and Phasma used to be involved with a gang" Ben swallowed the sharp pain in his jaw "We were respected, but soon realised how dangerous the other members had become. We left, but they have ways of finding us. Then they send their hit men, and, well, beat the crap out of us until we agree to return"

"I can't believe you were in a gang" Rey said shaking her head in disbelief.

"They call themselves the First Order, but you must not repeat hat name anywhere" He said as his eyes darkened.

They sat silently as Rey contemplated what she had been told. She could tell Ben was ashamed of what he had done, but he seemed more ashamed that Rey was seeing him lying in a hospital bed, with broken bones and bruises scattered all over his skin. She had heard about gangs in her neighbourhood, but she never really knew what they did or who was involved. She always imagined burly men with tattoos and thick gold chains round their necks. Rey didn't know where that image came from, because clearly she was shallower than she thought.

A nurse, not much older than Rey, had to ask for Ben's parents to come talk to the doctors about his recovery, and as much as she hated to lie, she couldn't say they were living together. She managed to construct a story about how his parents were currently on vacation in France for a month, but the nurse just said visiting times were over, and hurried her away.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Rey visited Ben every day, to bring him the occasional secret cigarette or secret beer that doctors would be outraged she brought into a hospital, but Rey knew that the odd beer and cigarette would make Ben recover quicker than any of the medicine he was given. Hux and Phasma apparently reported to the cops and told them everything that happened to them and Ben, which put them at more risk, but they knew they needed to tell them before they go after more people.

But Ben was scared, and Rey could tell, his recovery was more than healing broken bones.


	7. Chapter 7- Lunch And The Library

AN: Can't say how sorry I am about not updating sooner but real life got in the way, as per usual. Anyway this chapter talks a bit about Poe (So your welcome to any of the Poe fans out there) and please review so I know what you think! I usually try to correct any grammar and spelling mistakes but sorry if any managed to get passed me. Also, some replies to reviews:

Guest: Correct it is a little nod to one of my favourite tv shows. Also, Ben had to drive a badass car, and if it's good enough for the Winchesters, it's good enough for him!

BADWOLF1221: Regarding the underage drinking and smoking thing, I hope in the next few chapters to expand on the activities Ben, Hux and Phasma took part in whilst members of the First Order. Many of which are illegal, smoking and drinking happened to be activities they took part in and since Ben looks older than he actually is, people all assume he is old enough to buy alcohol and such. Hopefully that cleared that up!

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Rey sat by herself at lunch, though she was only drinking water. Poe was on a trip with the school football team and Finn was snowed in since he lived further from the school. Ben couldn't attend school for obvious reason but the doctors had said he had barely talked to anyone except a girl who came in to visit him. Rey knew it was Phasma that had visited him, but did she know? Did she know he was living with Rey? He probably didn't mention it, he probably made up some story about how his uncle drove him to the hospital after being found beaten up on the front porch.

Rey didn't even notice Phasma before she spoke between her mouthfuls of salad,

"Why did you help him?"

Rey was startled that she was even sitting with her, so it took a moment for Rey to register what she was being asked.

"Umm… I don't… help who? I mean help who with what?" She had to play dumb, Phasma might know everything or nothing, so it was better to play it safe.

"Ben used to live in his car, now lives with you, he got beaten up by our old gang and you helped him" Phasma said locking Rey with a cold stare "And he doesn't let anyone help him, _ever_."

Rey didn't know what she was meant to say. Ben must have told Phasma from the very beginning, this whole time Rey had been trying to keep this a secret and he was telling Phasma _everything._ Fear suddenly struck Rey as she recalled a certain red head, who happened to be friends with Ben, being a rather bad keeper of secrets. By bad keeper of secrets, what Rey really meant is if Hux knows something, the entire school knows.

"Does Hux know?" Rey said, ripping her eyes from the other girls, hoping it would hide her nervousness.

"Oh god no, Ben doesn't trust him as far as he can throw him" Phasma said rising from her seat, to show her full height.

Rey stood in front of her, soon realising that Phasma could probably knock Rey out in one clean blow. Rey always thought of herself as fairly muscular, albeit scrawny. But Anosie Phasma took it to an entirely new level. Her grey tank top showed off her muscular arms and her towering height made her hefty figure look even more intimidating. Rey could even see the muscles in her jaw clenching as she spoke,

"If any of those First Order bastards comes after Ben" Phasma crushed a can of soda in her hand and handed it to Rey "Call me so I can show them what fighting like a girl _really_ means"

And with those final words, Phasma beamed Rey a quick smile and bound out of the canteen, whilst many of the other students leapt out of her way.

Rey had a feeling Phasma was more than her tough persona.

Rey was shaken from her thoughts when something orange and white sprinted past her feet.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Poe was sitting in the library trying to relax after his long bus ride back with his teammates, who he did think of as brothers, but at times a little sibling rivalry would get a bit stressful for Poe to handle. BB sat in Poe's lap, the small dog content on sleeping to the sound of his owner's terrible attempt at singing to whatever music was playing through his headphones.

BB was the school mascot, who happened to be Poe's dog. Poe, as captain of the team had the honour of picking the schools eighth mascot, and he decided to nominate his furry friend for the job. BB twitched her ear at the sound of rustling, and Poe looked up to see a girl on the opposite side of the library. Poe recognised her instantly. He had always thought Jessika Pava was beautiful, she and Poe were once very close and Poe had even hoped they were more than friends. He had been confused at that age, he fell in love with Jessika, but he also had feelings for many of his male friends. He eventually accepted his feelings, so he would often love girls and boys. He can still remember hearing from one of the guys about when she started dating a guy from another school,

"Jessika's dating some guy from Hoth high" Said Tim, one of Poe's childhood friends.

"Oh, I kinda hoped she maybe…liked me" Poe had said rubbing his neck nervously.

"Of course she likes you, you're best friends"

"Yeah but can't we be more than Friends?"

"Nope, it's the age old rule; best friends forever, lovers never"

Poe and Jessika had slowly drifted away from each other after that. Jessika said it was because of how different they had both become with age, but Poe knew that he couldn't be friends with her with the thought of winning her affections always lingering in his mind. It would have drove him insane.

Jessika was on her tip toes stretching for a book on the highest shelf, just as Poe was going to help her, the book came crashing down, resulting in Jessika dropping all the other books she had been holding. The commotion caused the extremely frightened BB to leap off Poe's lap and sprint out of the library.

Help Jessika or chase after BB?

 _Jessika or BB?_

 _Jessika or BB?_

 _Dream girl or best friend?_

Poe realised his idea of relaxing was now completely destroyed, as he ran out of the library in search of BB, knowing that if he found her, she would be getting a very long lecture about how he could have been a gentleman.

But at this point in time, he just wanted to trudge through the layers of snow and go complain to Finn about his terrible love life.


	8. Chapter 8- The Not-Friends

AN: I as per usually cannot begin to explain how sorry I am for not updating, I've had exams for the last few weeks so I had no time to do important things like write fanfiction. I am also planning a Supernatural fanfiction so my ideas are all being used up at the moment. I am lots of kind reviews but I really would appreciate if people could leave reviews just to see what people think! Anyway this chapter comes with and angst warning. You've been warned! Muahahahah.

" _C'mon Ben, I have good money on you"_

 _Ben heard the words through the loud cheering as the taste of blood flooded into his mouth from his split lip. He shakily got to his feet, holding his shaking fists in front of him. He didn't want to hit her. He couldn't. Someone screamed her on as her fist made contact with his jaw and made a large crunching noise, as Ben once again fell to the floor._

 _He had to get away._

 _He would die._

 _And it wouldn't be at the hands of Anosie._

 _The tears poured from her eyes as she dropped to her knees. Ben was her best friend, and she had split his lip and probably broke his jaw._

" _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I-I'm sorry"_

 _Ben knew Anosie only ever apologised if she was told to, but no one was telling her to do anything besides make sure your friend bleeds. Her hands were shaking when she pulled him into her arms, crying over his limp body. Ben only opened his eyes when he heard her muffled screech, getting quieter and quieter. A man had his foot pressed down on Anosie's throat. Her face was going red and hands clawed at the man's boots. Ben heard her weakly scream,_

" _RUN!"_

 _He felt a searing pain in his back before the darkness swallowed him._

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Ben's eyes shot open to stare at the dark ceiling, his loud breathing the only audible sound in the apartment. He rolled over to see the clock on the small oven, 2:00 am. It had been months since the incident with the First Order members in the snow, but Ben had nightmares every night since. Ben had never been scared of nightmares due to the fact that, even when he was younger, he knew they weren't real. But these _were_ real, they _had_ happened. He had pushed his memories so deep inside his mind that he almost forget about them, almost.

Ben still didn't know if he was safe. Fear constantly scraped at the back of his mind, like nails on a chalkboard. He was on the verge of paranoia, and he hated it. Ben wanted to be powerful, he wanted to make a name for himself not be the guy living in constant of the outside world. But he wasn't even that afraid that people would go after him, no, he _knew_ that if he left Rey alone they would go after her. Rey didn't even mean that much to him, but he only had her and Phasma. He was not willing to give Huxley Arbertin the title of friend, all the ginger ever did was take the piss out of him. They had both been through thick and thin together, and, as hard as Ben found it to believe, Hux was once a not extremely heartless person. The First Order had changed all three of their lives, and it certainly not did not change them for the better. Ben became slightly addicted to alcohol and smoking, Phasma became much more ruthless and violent, Hux became crazed with power but all of them had been broken both mentally and physically.

Ben felt the sudden urge to grab a cigarette and sprint outside, until he heard the padding of bare feet on the floor.

Rey was standing in a tank top and pair of shorts that didn't leave a lot to the imagination. Ben squinted his eyes to see her in the dark as she poured herself a glass of water. He sat silently watching her until he saw her reach for a small bottle sitting on the counter that he was sure wasn't there when he went to sleep.

"Rey?" Ben said propping himself up onto his elbows.

"Ben?!" Rey said scrambling to hide the small bottle of pills. "I didn't know you were awake"

"Rey why are you taking those?" Ben wasn't quite sure how to approach the situation depending on what type of pills Rey may or may not have just swallowed.

"Oh, it doesn't matter" She replied as she quickly walked back to her bed.

Rey gasped as she felt an arm wrap around her waist as she landed not-to-elegantly on Ben's lap.

"I need to know what you just did" Ben whispered sternly in her ear.

"They help me sleep" Rey said shamefully. "They stop the nightmares"

Ben didn't know what to do. Rey just admitted to taking sleeping pills, which were definitely not prescription after Rey told Ben she has a deadly fear of doctors. Ben was so tangled in his own thoughts he didn't even notice that Rey had started violently sobbing on his shoulder. Ben in response, as if a natural reflex, gently wrapped his arms around her small frame and began to cradle her.

"I wouldn't call us friends, I don't know what to call us" Ben said sighing.

"Why don't I just call you Ben and you just all me Rey"

"I would like that very much"

The not-friends Ben and Rey sat holding each other until they both drifted to sleep, the only sleep in weeks in which neither had any nightmares.


	9. Chapter 9- Dresses And Suits

AN: Ok so, I have updated due to writers block but I am now setting a day to upload. I will upload new chapters of this story on Thursdays and any other fics I will update on other days. I'm always apologise for not updating sooner but as long as you guys know that I do feel bad when I don't update hopefully its all good. Anyway on with this chapter! Good news is this and the next few chapters won't be as heavy and full of angst like the others! Yay!

Ben had always wanted a girlfriend, but he didn't know that. When his mother was home, she would read him stories about the hero saving the fair maiden and how they lived happily ever after. Ben always wondered how long ever after even was, was it forever or was it simply anything from a month to year? His favourite story had always been Alice in Wonderland, and it still was. When Ben was toddler, he used to imagine he was in Wonderland, drinking tea with the mad hatter. He had no worries when he was in Wonderland, no cares about the real world, just drinking tea and hoping Alice might join him one day. Ben always wanted to meet a girl like Alice, curious and sweet and everything in between. He never found Alice, but then again he never really found Wonderland.

That was until he met Rey.

Rey was more than Alice, _she was Wonderland_. When Ben was with Rey, he had no worries about the real world, only about her. She was vibrant and colourful, but had a dark and mysterious side. Rey made Ben ashamed of ever being involved with something like The First Order, she made him anger at the way he felt. He didn't want to love and need someone.

 _Need._

Ben _needed_ Rey.

And he had given up on being mad about it.

Ben had enlisted the help of Phasma to help him plan a meal for him and Rey. After all it was Rey's birthday and he had to act like he didn't know for the entire day. He was already nervous about the whole thing and Rey was to be home soon. She had gone out with Finn and Poe to go shopping for the boys to get her a birthday present.

"Okay, when you're ready to have dinner, just shove the spaghetti in the microwave for 3 minutes" Phasma said spooning the spaghetti into two plastic tubs.

"Right I'll do that, anything else you think I should do?" Ben said untying the apron from around his waist. He wasn't good at this whole romantic thing and Phasma probably wasn't a professor in romance either but she was his best shot for advice.

"Take a shower, gel back your hair, tidy up this living room and for the love of god, wear a suit" Phasma sighed whilst handing Ben a tube of hair gel and a comb.

"I don't own a suit" Ben said feeling slightly foolish.

"Don't worry I got you covered, Morea's boyfriend had one" Phasma yelled as she sprinted out the door.

Morea is Anosie's older sister, who happens to have a rather rocky relationship with Ben. That was probably more Bens fault than her own after he punched one of her boyfriends for making a rather crude comment about Anosie.

Phasma appeared back in the room as quick as she had left, with a black suit in hand.

"Thanks" Ben mumbled. He was not looking forward to wearing a suit when he usually wore a pair of skinny jeans.

"Oh and one other thing" Phasma said patting Ben on the back "Try not to get her pregnant"

"I hate you" Ben said trying not to look too embarrassed at the rather ludicrous.

"No you don't" Phasma yelled as she began her decent of the buildings stairs.

Ben was beginning to regret the idea of having a slightly posh dinner in the apartment, when an idea struck him: why have it _in_ the apartment?

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Rey loved her new dress more than she probably should. She had tried on hundreds of dresses and hated nearly all of them. Rey had never had a dress before and she wanted her first one to be _perfect._ She didn't want pink, frilly or skin tight anything. So she eventually settled on a red dress that had black embroidery of flowers at the neck and hem. Poe had convinced her that it was definitely the best choice after he told her that the way the dress flows out from the black waistband made her look like some kind of Disney princess. Poe also told her it would impress _him_. She had denied the fact that she wanted to impress him or even try to impress anyone. Although it did come to Rey's mind that black and red just happened to be Ben's favourite colours. Though Rey wasn't extremely happy with Ben currently, they were roommates and he didn't even remember her birthday.

Rey clambered up the stairs to her apartment, completely tired from all the modelling she had to do for Poe and Finn, so they could critique every dress she tried on. She had just had a conversation with Anosie who seemed awful smug about something, but never mentioned what that something happened to be. Though she did mention that she stopped by to see Ben but that he wasn't in right now, which was odd since usually he told her if he planned on going anywhere, due to Rey's tendency to freak out if people left with no explanation, for obvious reasons.

Rey dumped the bag from "Bella's Boutique" down on her bed and walked over to the kitchen when she noticed a piece of paper lying on the counter. She grabbed the piece of paper begining to panic slightly, worst case scenarios floating around in her head.

 _First Order?_

 _Car crash?_

 _First Order?_

 _Arrested?_

 _First Order?_

The piece of paper wasn't a police report or ransom note, it simply read:

 _Rey,_

 _Please be ready for a slightly nicer dinner than we usually or at least a dinner that is posh but affordable. I'll come to pick you up at 7._

 _Maybe you could wear the dress Poe told me about?_

 _-Ben_

 _PS: You didn't really think I forgot your birthday did you?  
_

Rey could hold back her squeal as she danced around the apartment before heading towards the bathroom.


End file.
